An exploration of garden and food education for children

Grant Money Not Taken for Granted

Every growing season I re-learn the same lesson: a garden takes more effort than simply sowing a seed. It’s easy to get convinced otherwise because nature handles most of the work. Many plants (particularly weeds) thrive without the help of a green thumb in the presence of the basics: sunlight, soil and water. But it is silly to think a garden can succeed without more input and labor and resources. For one thing, it takes human energy to tug out those thriving weeds that threaten to steal prime real estate from my vegetable crop.

That said, it is no surprise that school and community gardens are always in search of resources to sustain their own garden programs – whether they receive grant money and cash donations, garden supplies, or volunteer labor. One of the goals of Friends of Burlington Gardens (FBG) is to coordinate funding for these gardens through mini-grants, which may be used to purchase supplies such as shovels and rakes and mulch, or to pay salaries to garden coordinators, among other needs.

But how can FBG coordinate these grants, in addition to coordinating other events, and funding their own programs? Grants are the sustenance of this organization. I had never noticed it before, but the FBG’s director pointed out the whiteboard calendars hidden behind the entry of their small office. Short notes have been scribbled on the four-month calendar in various colors. She pointed out the days with notes written in red, which signified due dates for grant applications.

I counted four to six dates with the red handwriting within each of the months. Seriously? Four to six grant applications to complete per month during the busy season for garden planning?

Sure, I suspected FBG relied heavily on grants, but I couldn’t believe this two-person team had so many grant applications to keep track of! The director explained that FBG generally receives about 60% of the grants they apply to, so they use this estimate to plan their budget for the upcoming summer and fall. This is shaky for the organization, since the plans they create now bank on this estimated revenue. How will they manage if they receive less money?

While FBG also continues efforts for fundraising and approaches businesses for garden supply donations, the year-to-year success of the organization will continue to be funded by grant money based on the previous year’s success.

While it is surely stressful and time-intensive for FBG to complete these applications, I didn’t get the sense that the director was bothered by this process. In addition to the most obvious benefit of completing these applications – funding – this is an opportunity for the program to constantly evaluate itself. By discussing the program’s successes and failures in grant applications, I bet FBG has a more balanced view of their organization, and also more foresight into best strategies for the future garden seasons.